File drawer lock assembly



Aprii 8, 1969 R. A. SEWELL 3,436,939

FILE DRAWER LOCK ASSEMBLY Filed April 17, 1967 United States Patent US. Cl. 70-31 4 Claims ABSTRACT 11F THE DISCLOSURE A lock assembly utilized in a file cabinet to lock the drawers therein having a generally elongated housing for a tumbler lock with the plug retained in the housing through a retaining pin and terminating in a pair of axially offset pins operatively connected to and actuating a vertically reciprocable lock bolt. The lock bolt includes a recess having opposed barrier walls and a pair of laterally extended vertically spaced arms cooperating with the plug pins, and the bolt extends beyond the housing and is connected to and actuates a linkage which provides the locking action for the file drawers.

The present invention relates to a novel lock assembly for a file cabinet to lock the file drawers thereof, and more particularly to a lock assembly having a vertically reciprocable lock bolt extending beyond the lock at each end and connected to a linkage actuating the locking means for the file drawers.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a lock assembly which is easily and quickly installed in a file cabinet utilizing a single screw to retain the lock therein. The lock assembly includes a housing or cylinder which has the outer face received in an opening in the file cabinet and has a vertically slotted rear end portion with a lateral threaded opening extending through the arms or bifurcations formed by the slot. The slot receives a flange formed in the cabinet having an opening to be aligned with the threaded opening through the arms for a suitable screw to extend into the threaded openings and through the flange.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a lock assembly for a file cabinet having a cylinder lock and a vertically reciprocable lock bolt mounted in an opening in the lock cylinder and extending beyond the lock cylinder. The lock cylinder includes a lock plug having a pair of spaced axially offset pins on the inner end thereof which extend into a recess in the lock bolt. The recess in the bolt includes oppositely disposed barrier walls and a pair of laterally extending vertically spaced arms which cooperate with the pins on the plug during rotation of the plug to cause vertical movement of the bolt relative to the cylinder.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a lock assembly for a file cabinet having a vertically reciprocable bolt actuating the locking mechanism for the file cabinet drawers. One or both ends of the lock bolt are connected to a linkage which the bolt actuates upon reciprocation. The linkage actuates a locking member which cooperates with a file drawer in the cabinet to prevent withdrawal of the drawer from the cabinet.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, efiiciency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the lock assembly for a file cabinet actuating one embodiment of drawer locking means.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view of the lock assembly taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view of the lock assembly taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevational view of a second embodiment of drawer locking means showing a partial cross sectional view of the lock assembly similar to FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial rear elevational view of the drawer locking means of FIG. 4-.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawing wherein is shown illustrative embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 1 discloses a file cabinet having file drawers 11 therein mounted for reciprocable horizontal motion, and a lock assembly 12 operated by a suitable key 13 to actuate a locking mechanism to lock the individual file drawers within the cabinet so that they cannot be withdrawn and access obtained to their contents by unauthorized personnel. The file cabinet 10 has an opening 14 (FIG. 3) receiving the front end of the lock assembly 12 to expose the face of the assembly for access by the key.

The lock assembly includes a housing or cylinder 15 having a generally central passage 16 for a rotatable lock plug 17, the passage terminating at and opening into a generally vertical passage 18 receiving a vertically reciprocable lock bolt 19; the cross section of the lock bolt 19 being complementary to the cross section of the passage 18. Rearwardly of the passage 18, the housing 15 is provided with a vertical slot 21 forming arms or bifurcations 22; a central portion 23 of the slot extending into the housing 15 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Aligned threaded openings 24 are formed in arms 22 to accommodate a threaded fastener or screw 25. The file cabinet 10 includes an arm or flange 26 extending inward from the side wall 27 of the cabinet 10 (FIG. 3) behind the housing 15 and then inturned as at 28 to extend into the slot 21. The inturned end 28 includes an opening 29 aligned with the threaded openings 24 to receive the threaded fastener and thus in cooperation with the opening 14 for the front end of the assembly 12 to secure the housing 15 in the cabinet 10.

The lock plug 17 has a keyway 31 adapted to receive a suitable key 13 and passages 32 intersecting the keyway and receiving tumblers 33 actuated by the bitings on the key. The housing 15 also includes passages adapted to be aligned with passages 32 in the plug and receiving driver pins 34 and tumbler springs 35; the passage 33 being closed at their upper ends by a tumbler retaining plate 36. The plug 17 also includes a peripheral slot 37 formed on the circumference of the plug rearwardly of the tumblers 33, and aligned with a passage 38 in the housing 15 receiving a plug stop pin 39 retaining the plug in the housing 15. The plate 36 also covers the outer end of the passage 38.

The lock bolt 19 is an elongated member, generally square in cross section, extending beyond the cylinder 15 both above and below the opening 18. The bolt has a recess 41 in the side of the bolt facing the lock plug 17 and extending across the bolt; the recess having upper and lower barrier walls 42 and 43, respectively, and a pair of vertically spaced projections or arms 44 and 45 extending laterally in the recess from one edge and partially thereacross. The lock plug includes at its rear face a pair of spaced axially offset pins 46 and 47 Which extend into the recess 41 and cooperate with the upper and lower arms 44 and 45, respectively. Rotation of the pins 46, 47 and the plug 17 causes vertical reciprocation of the bolt 19 in a manner to be later described.

The bolt 19 has an opening 48, preferably threaded, adjacent each end of the bolt for attachment to a linkage to actuate the locking of the file drawers. In FIG. 1, an

elongated member 49 has its upper end 51 provided with an opening adapted to be aligned with the opening 48 in the bolt and receive a suitable fastener, such as a screw 52. At the opposite end of the member 49 extending alongside of the file drawers is a laterally extending locking pin 53 which is received in a notch or slot in a flange or other portion of the file drawer 11 to prevent the drawer from unauthorized withdrawal from the cabinet. The pin 53 shown in full lines in FIG. 1 is positioned in its unlocked position while the pin in dotted lines is in its reciprocated locked position. Additional pins 53 are positioned along the member 49 for the locking of the remaining drawers in the cabinet. An additional member 49 can be secured to the upper end of the bolt 19, if required.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, another embodiment of linkage is shown to reciprocate an elongated locking member 54 having its depending end 55 received in an opening in a flange or other portion of the file drawer; the member being shown in full lines in its unlocked position and in dotted lines in its reciprocated locked position. A pair of spaced parallel links 56 are mounted on a pivot pin 57 suitably secured in the cabinet and having one pair of ends secured to a rivet or pin 58 received in the lower opening 48 in the bolt 19 and the opposite pair of ends mounted on the member 54 by a second rivet 59 received in an opening in the member. Downward movement of the bolt 19 is translated through the parallel links 56 to upward movement of member 54.

In operation with the bolt 19 in its lower unlocked position, the pins 46, 47 on the rear end of the plug 17 are horizontally arranged, as seen in FIG. 1, above the upper arm 44 adjacent the upper barrier wall 42. Insertion of the proper key 13 in the keyway 31 actuates the tumblers 33 and driver pins 34 to allow the plug to rotate. Upon counterclockwise rotation of the key 13 and plug 17, the pin 46 moves around the end of arm 44 and into the space between the arms 44, 45 and urges arm 44 upward.

The pin 47 moves away from barrier wall and around the inner end of both projections or arms 44, 45 and into the space between the lower arm 45 and lower barrier wall 43 to urge the lower arm 45 upward. Then the pin 46 moves out of the space between the arms around the inner end of arm 45 to abut the lower barrier wall 43 and is horizontally aligned with pin 47. Thus, the combined movements of the pins 46, 47 cause the upward movement of the bolt 19. To return the bolt to unlocked position, the plug 17 is rotated clockwise and the movements of the pins 46 and 47 are reversed. As the plug makes a complete 360 revolution to shift the bolt, the key 13 can be removed in either the locked or unlocked position of the bolt.

While the improvement has been shown and described as being advantageously applicable to a file drawer lock for a file cabinet, it is not my desire or intent to unnecessarily limit the scope or the utility of the improved features by virtue of this illustrative embodiment.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim:

1. A lock assembly for a file cabinet having a flanged member thereon terminating in an inturned end with an opening therein, comprising a tumbler lock including a lock cylinder with an offset axially extending passage therein terminating at and opening into a transversely extending passage through the cylinder intermediate the ends thereof, the rear end of the cylinder beyond said transverse passage having a transverse slot therein forming a pair of spaced parallel arms, said arms having aligned laterally extending threaded openings therein, said slot receiving the inturned end of the flanged member on the cabinet with the opening therein aligned with the threaded openings, a threaded fastener extending into and through said openings and threadingly engaging said arms to secure the cylinder in the file cabinet, an elongated reciprocable lock bolt conformably received in said transverse passage and extending beyond the cylinder, a rotatable plug mounted in said axially extending passageway, said plug having a circumferential groove therein, a stop pin in said cylinder having its inner end received in said groove to retain the plug in the cylinder, means on said plug and bolt cooperating to reciprocate said bolt upon rotation of the plug, an elongated locking bar, and means to link said locking bar and said bolt together for movement between a locked and unlocked position in the file cabinet.

2. A lock assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which said cooperating means on said plug and bolt includes a pair of rearwardly extending spaced axially offset pins on said plug, said reciprocable bolt having a recess intermediate the ends thereof receiving said spaced pins, said recess extending completely across the bolt and having upper and lower barrier walls, and a pair of laterally extending axially spaced parallel arms in the recess and extending partially across the recess from one edge thereof, said pins cooperating with said arms and barrier walls in the recess to reciprocate the bolt upon rotation of said plug.

3. A lock assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which said linkage means includes an end on said locking bar adjacent said tumbler lock having an opening therein, said lock bolt having an opening adjacent one end thereof aligned with the opening in said locking bar, and a fastener extending through the opening in the locking bar and the aligned opening in the lock bolt to secure the bolt and bar together.

4. A lock assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which said linkage means includes a fixed pivot pin mounted in the cabinet, a pair of parallel spaced links mounted on said pivot pin intermediate their ends, one pair of ends of said links positioned on opposite sides of and secured to one end of said bolt, and the opposite pair of ends of the links positioned on opposite sides of and secured to one end of the locking bar, so that movement of said bolt in one direction will cause movement of said bar in the opposite direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,053,124 2/ 1913 Ekberg -79 1,337,111 4/1920 Anderson 74-519 2,275,362 3/1942 Golden et al 70-134 2,309,863 2/1943 North 70-380 3,167,943 2/1965 Schreiber et a1. 70-358 3,349,585 10/1967 Walters 70-86 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,013,202 12/ 1965 Great Britain. 1,172,141 7/ 1964 Germany.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

R. L. WOLFE, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 70-451, 370, 379 

